WHO report declares CBD oil safe for human consumption

The World Health Organization (WHO), has finally released a report confirming what we already knew, Cannabidiol (CBD) not only poses no health risks to humans and animals, but can also be used in treatment of several health conditions, such as Cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

The use of CBD oil for the treatment of several conditions is to this day illegal in several places, including some US states and Canadian provinces, and many people wanting to use the proven effective substance have so far had to take matters in their own hands and resort to obtaining it illegally.

CBD mitigates the effect of THC, the principal psychoactive component of cannabis which induces the “high” or anxiety feeling in users.

However, hopefully things are set to change, as the WHO has recently released a report confirming the safety and effectivity of the substance. The preliminary WHO report pointed out that naturally occurring CBD is safe for human and animal consumption and carries no known side effects.

The detailed report also pointed out that even though CBD oil is derived from Cannabis, it does not induce the physical dependence or altered states of consciousness associated with its consumption. “To date, there is no evidence of recreational use of CBD or any public health related problems associated with the use of pure CBD,” wrote the researchers. On the contrary CBD was found to mitigate the effect of THC, which is the principal psychoactive component of cannabis, that induces the “high” feeling or anxiety in users.

CBD oil an effective treatment for a number of serious diseases

The report found that CBD has positive results in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, psychosis, Parkinson’s disease, and other serious conditions.

More importantly, the WHO report finally recognizes the number of medical applications that CBD can have, saying that it has “been demonstrated as an effective treatment for epilepsy” in adults, children, and even animals. Additionally this research has found “preliminary evidence” that the substance has positive results in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, psychosis, Parkinson’s disease, and other serious conditions.

The report did point out that despite the extensive research indicating that CBD oil has a number of medical applications, several countries such as the US, have still not amended their regulatory framework to reflect this. On the contrary, in the US CBD remains inaccurately classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it has a “high potential for abuse”. This leads to wishing to purchase it for medicinal purposes, having to put themselves through a number of risks in order to acquire it.

Additionally, one of the reasons why electronic cigarettes have been criticised in the recent months, is because many are opting to consume CBD oil via the devices. Only last month, the US army released a health warning about the potential “dangers” of vaping CBD oil.

The FDA urged to amend regulations pertaining to CBD oil use for medicinal purposes

In the meantime, while numerous entities have been urging the FDA to amend the regulations pertaining to CBD use, to reflect the available data, the agency has so far ignored all scientific evidence and refused to update ts position. However, an article on Forbes pointed out that since the FDA “is one of a number of agencies that will be advising the WHO in its final review of CBD,” there is hope that finally it will have to listen and change its stance.